MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Health authorities start staff downsizing under RFK, Jr.

The measure targeted the so-called probationary workers which included new hires or old ones who had just been relocated

US Federal authorities terminated a series of employments after Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. (RFK) was confirmed by the Senate Thursday as the country's new Health Secretary. Some 1,300 probationary-level workers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 1,500 others from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were laid off.

Those affected were notified Friday of the cuts. The measure against probationary employees targeted both recent hires as well as long-time staffers who had been recently moved to a new position.

The CDC's downsizing included half of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers, also known as “disease detectives.” Kennedy's longstanding views regarding Covid-19 vaccination entailed a shift in paradigm for the new authorities. During President Donald Trump's second term in office, the country has already left the World Health Organization (WHO).

The new cuts are part of Trump's spending cuts initiative spearheaded by tycoon Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Other federal agencies like the Department of Energy and the Department of Veterans Affairs are also implementing downsizing efforts.

The new layoffs have been described as potentially indiscriminate and harmful to national security after reducing the CDC's capacity to respond to health threats like epidemics or pandemics, specifically given the current outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu. With the H5N1 virus circulating in poultry and livestock farms nationwide, almost 70 people have been infected since early 2024, and one has died. RFK denied any plans for significant purges shortly before these layoffs were enacted, although he had suggested some reforms were to be undertaken.

In addition, the Indian Health Service and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have also experienced staff cuts, with warnings from Tribal Nations about the adverse effects on Native American health services.

The Health Secretary (HHS) under RFK “is following the Administration's guidance and taking action to support the President's broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government. This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard,” Agency Spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to local media.

Members of the US scientific community have been reported to be devastated by the news, many of them still concerned about whether the axe would reach their necks.

Friday's layoffs were the latest in a series that started this week at CDC when contractors in various divisions and some 400 employees accepted severance arrangements. The CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service or EIS officers are hired in annual classes through a competitive process. It was unclear by Friday who decided which CDC staff to cut.